Space

Goal Of NASA's Mars Mission Is To Find Evidence Of Past Life On Mars

5:08am February 25, 2021

NPR's Noel King speaks with Nina Lanza, a geologist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Adam Steltzner, chief engineer of the Perseverance Mars rover, about NASA's Mars Exploration Program.

Could Nuclear Power Aid In Travel To Mars?

4:57pm February 24, 2021

by Geoff Brumfiel

Nuclear power is potentially dangerous. So is sending humans to Mars. But some researchers think a nuclear-powered rocket might be the best way to travel to the red planet.

An artist's depiction of a nuclear powered spacecraft of the sort that might one day carry people to Mars. Nuclear could allow for faster journeys, according to the experts.

Science

Experts Ponder Nuclear Rockets To Send Humans To Mars

3:19pm February 24, 2021

by Geoff Brumfiel

Nuclear rocket technology might be the fastest, safest way to get to the red planet. But if NASA wants to go, it should start development now.

NASA's Mars Rover Sends Secret Message Back Home

6:53am February 24, 2021

Perseverance landed on Mars several days ago, and has sent some stunning pictures of the red planet. The secret message is in binary code and reads: "Dare Mighty Things."

Perseverance's Video Cameras Capture Rover's Arrival On Mars

7:18am February 23, 2021

NASA has released video and audio of the Perseverance Mars rover as it descended through the Martian atmosphere and landed as planned in Jezero Crater last Thursday.

NASA Releases Video Of Perseverance Rover Landing On Mars

8:24pm February 22, 2021

by Joe Palca

NASA released videos of the rover called Perseverance as it descended to the surface of Mars. The space agency also outlined what the rover will be doing in its first few days on Mars.

Queue Listen Now

A photo provided by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital shows Hayley Arceneaux at the hospital in Memphis, Tenn. It announced on Monday that Arceneaux, a former patient and current employee, will be one of four crew members on the first all-civilian spa

Health & Safety

'The Sky's Not Even The Limit': Cancer Survivor To Become Youngest American In Space

4:23pm February 22, 2021

by Rachel Treisman

Physician assistant and pediatric bone cancer survivor Hayley Arceneaux, 29, will be one of four crew members on the world's first all-civilian mission to space at the end of this year.

Science

NASA Scientist Discusses Her Work On The Perseverance Mars Rover Project

11:01am February 21, 2021

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with NASA engineer Christina Hernandez about her role in the Mars Perseverance mission.

Queue Listen Now

National

Houstonite Astronaut Mae Jemison: Texas Crisis 'Did Not Have To Be This Bad'

6:12pm February 20, 2021

NPR's Michel Martin discusses how people are coping with the lingering effects of the winter storm in Texas with a famous resident: astronaut and physician Mae Jemison.

Queue Listen Now

Bosnians Celebrate As NASA Mars Rover Lands In Crater Named After Village

8:07am February 19, 2021

People in the village of Jezero gathered in a school gym and cheered when the rover landed in a Martian crater named after the Bosnian town.

Queue Listen Now